Writes Ciaran Dineen
Cork County Council have today given notice of their intention under Section 38 of the Road Traffic Act 1994 to introduce new traffic calming measures on Main Street, Church Hill and Stand Road, Carrigaline.
This decision comes in the wake of the detailed plans outlined in the Carrigaline Transportation and Public Realm Enhancement Plan, that was revealed last summer, with the intention of improving pedestrian and cyclist permeability in the town centre.
The scheme will include the upgrading of Main Street between its junctions with Church Road and Ferney Road, with additional line-marking, signage, speed tables, bollards and traffic signals are part of the proposals. This will all ultimately result in several changes to the traffic system in Carrigaline, with three particular key new developments.
These include a bus-only lane southbound on Main Street between Church Road and Strand Road, a one-way southbound traffic flow on Church Hill, the commencement of which will begin at the entrance to Mount Rivers, and finally, a one-way system westbound along Strand Road, from the entrance to the Library/Dunnes Stores towards Main Street.
The implementation of these works and the period with which they will come into daily effect will coincide with the opening of the Western Relief Road, which is due to be completed later this year. The delivery of these new initiatives are seen as being key to the overall vision of an enhanced town centre which has been identified by the Carrigaline TPREP. Further details relating to the ‘Public Realm’ element and future design of the Owenabue Carpark are expected to be published in the coming months.
In August 2021, local councillors of the Carrigaline Municipal District agreed to adopt the new proposals laid out in the strategy published a few months before. The appetite to see these changes carried through is high and the progress made by the Council so early in 2022 has been warmly received.
Commenting on the announcement, Cllr Seámus McGrath (FF) told The Carrigdhoun that, “the new Inner Relief Road presents a critical opportunity to rethink traffic movements in Carrigaline and to alleviate ongoing congestion. The proposed changes are very significant and I would strongly encourage everyone to review them and have your say as part of the consultation.”
Cllr Jack White (FG) also welcomed the Council’s intentions, noting the “transformative” nature of the plans for Carrigaline. He said, "For years Carrigaline's development has been held back by traffic issues and inadequate infrastructure. Now, a plan is in place from Cork County Council to address that, which we hope will coincide with the opening of the Inner Western Relief Road in June/July. I very much welcome the progressive, transformative nature of the plan, for the largest town in Cork County".
The new road design proposals are available on Cork County Council’s website. The Section 38 will be available for inspection and comment until February 15th 2022.
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